The Seventh Envoy
by MessengerFox
Summary: We all know and love the story of our favorite sun goddess Ammy and our favorite half-baked prophet Waka, but aren't you forgetting someone? He would be quite mad if he found out you didn't know his story! You may wonder... whatever happened to Issun?
1. Chapter 1

The Seventh Envoy

"Mmm, Sakuya, what a lovely low-cut top you're wearing tonight…" Issun murmured as he carefully observed the wood sprite's dainty appearance. "You wouldn't mind if I… took a closer look?"

Sakuya giggled and smiled wide, her long gorgeous eyelashes batting as her eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Oh, Issun, of course," she whispered as she leaned closer to the Poncle.

Issun breathed deeply, preparing for a spring right into the wood sprite's dress. His legs trembled with the energy for the jump.

In mid-air, something hit Issun across the face and he woke up from his steamy, pleasant dream.

"Isshun, Isshun!" a little voice squealed. Issun's eyes opened to a tiny pink Poncle child standing at his bedside, clutching a tiny dagger.

"Who the hell are you?" Issun shouted as he jumped up and hit his head on the room's ceiling. The little Poncle only laughed as Issun's face turned bright red. He had realized that all he had on was a measly little pair of shorts.

"I'm Miyo. You're Isshun, right? Da Celeshial Envoy dat everyone's been talkin' about since you got here?"

Suddenly it all came rushing back to Issun. He was in Yoshpet, in his birthplace of Ponc'tan. Oh, crap, he thought.

Issun spotted his clothes, hat, and sword Denkomaru on a little table in the corner of the small room. Before he could embarrass himself anymore, he threw on his clothes and strapped Denkomaru to his belt.

Then he realized the little Poncle was still standing there, smiling slightly. What was her name again? Miyo? Right.

"So, Miyo… I don't suppose you can take me to a place where I can get some grub?" he asked as he felt his bean-sized stomach growl.

Miyo giggled again and spun on her heel towards the door, waving for him to follow her.

The second Issun stepped out of the small hut, he finally recalled the full reason he came here. It might've been the bright flowers that decorated Ponc'tan's homes, or the green leaves and vines that weaved together the very existence of the small village.

As Issun's eyes landed on the largest hut in the village, elaborately glorified with pinks and purples, yellows and reds, his feeling of hunger suddenly vanished.

Miyo followed his gaze and her smile disappeared. "Go 'head, then. Do whatcha gotta do."

For a second, Issun was amazed at the youngster's simple and ageless words. For just a moment, Miyo wasn't a miniscule child, but a wise old elder.

She hopped away and quickly vanished, leaving Issun standing alone in the too quiet village. He took a deep breath and leaped towards the large hut.

Inside, a variety of Poncles, all different colors, stood, all quietly whispering amongst themselves. The room went quiet as Issun stepped in.

The Poncles parted, making a pathway to a different room in the hut. As Issun approached it, he actually thought for once and took off his hat in respect.

Just as he was about to step through the doorway of beads into the room, a light blue glow hit him in the chest. His eyes opened to see the worried face of a young blue Poncle female, her hair braided neatly to the side.

"I'm sorry…" she muttered and quickly moved away. Issun picked up his dropped hat and moved into the room.

There, on a meek, wooden bark mattress, covered in soft, silk sheets, was the chief of Ponc'tan, Issun's grandfather, Ishaku. His normally tan, calm face was as pale as his white hair, and his orange luminescence was reduced to a light glimmer barely emitting from his weak, frail body.

At least his tired eyes lit up with happiness as he saw his grandson enter the room. Issun froze as he glanced at his old mentor, the closest thing to a father he ever had. The old Poncle was still generally middle-aged, but recently a sickness had swept over him and slowly drained his strength. Issun had received word of it and decided to stop by, just out of respect for Ishaku.

But now he was speechless. Ishaku was barely more than a ghost.

"Issun… I… I'm glad you came at such short notice…" Ishaku managed to say. Even his voice was losing its normally bouncy sound. Issun couldn't reply at first, but choked out a "hi…".

"Well, don't just stand there-" he paused to cough. "Come, sit down." Ishaku motioned to a stool next to the bedside.

Issun wobbled over to the stool, gripping Denkomaru tightly.

"So… life's been good to you, Issun?"

"I- I guess…"

"How's Shiranui? Or does she prefer Amaterasu?"

"Ammy's fine… she visits occasionally, but she lives on the Celestial Plain most of the time."

"I see… And you've been doing your Envoy duties and spreading word about her?"

Issun shrugged. "I try… I guess…" He couldn't help but think of all the days and nights he had spent sleeping in beautiful women's clothes instead of taking care of his duties.

Ishaku had stopped speaking and was staring at Issun now. "Enough small talk, Issun. You know why you're here."

Issun swallowed and nodded. He knew.

"Issun, I'm dying. The medicine they give me only helps to ease the pain, but it doesn't prevent what must happen. As you know, I am chief of Ponc'tan. I can't very well do my job from this death bed, nor from the other side. I want to ask you to do something very important, that I would not trust any other Poncle to do."

Issun couldn't make his eyes meet Ishaku's. Instead, he set his gaze on Denjinmaru, Ishaku's sword, almost identical to Issun's, resting at Ishaku's side. The blade that doubled as a Celestial Brush had painted so many paintings, created so much in Ishaku's lifetime.

"Issun."

"…I-Ishaku…"

"You know what must happen. You are next in line as chief of Ponc'tan."

"I… I know…"

"….. Issun?"

"Y-yes?"

"I know you're ready. You are the most determined, stubborn, self-indulgent Poncle I know. But before you become chief, your duties as Celestial Envoy need to be given to someone else. You remember Miya, yes? She's Miyo's mother. I have trained her myself, and I was thinking, you could take her around Nippon a bit, finish her training, and then come back here to be chief?"

Issun nodded slowly as it all sunk in. He was going to be chief. He only had a little while left, from the looks of Ishaku's well-being. He needed to give up his position as the Celestial Envoy.

"I'll do it," Issun muttered as he stood up and put his hat back on. He let his confident light shine in his eyes again as he spoke to Ishaku once more before he left the room.

"Thank you, Ishaku. I'll do it, in your name."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. :3**

**Chapter 2**

Issun watched the sun rise as he sat on top of a leaf at the tallest tree he could find surrounding Ponc'tan. The beautiful oranges, reds and pinks mingled perfectly together. The sun always reminded him of Okami Amaterasu, the great sun goddess he had met all those years ago and traveled with, eventually bringing peace back into the land of Nippon.

Of course, that was years ago. Ammy was now on the Celestial Plain with the half-baked prophet and her son. Issun had stayed in Nippon, spreading the word and faith of his friend to restore her power and make her as great as her former self, Shiranui.

All these thoughts were interrupted as a voice spoke loudly into Issun's ear. "Issun! It's really you!"

"You must be Miya," Issun muttered as he turned to see the bright yellow Poncle smiling widely at him. Her hair was tucked under a butterfly-patterned cap, and she wore a loosely fitting belt around her waist that held a sword/brush on one end.

"I remember you from when I was little. You and the white wolf, Amaterasu."

Issun only nodded, and then hopped up, eager to get started on the long journey. "You have a sword and a brush?" he asked, not caring if he seemed oblivious to the one obviously hanging from Miya's belt.

"Sure do!" she smugly said as she drew the gleaming needle from the belt. The metal shone brightly in the new sunlight. "This here is Daichi, my trusty blade given to me by Ishaku himself."

Issun tried not to hear the name of his dying grandfather, and instead thought of fulfilling his last wish. "Well, c'mon then, let's go. We've got a long way to go and a short day to get there!" he called as he leaped off the leaf and down below. Miya squealed as she jumped down after him, bursting with energy.

Issun had already begun his long tread towards Wep'keer when he heard the familiar squeak of a little pink Poncle behind him. He turned to see Miyo grasping onto her mother, tears in her eyes.

"Don't go, mummy! Pwease!" Miyo cried. Miya comforted her daughter with a pat on the head and a warm smile.

"I'll be back soon, I promise. Issun here is going to teach me how to be an Envoy, like him." Miya grinned at Issun. Issun grunted.

Miyo let go of her mother and walked slowly towards Issun. "You promise you'll bring her back?" she whimpered.

Issun opened his mouth, glanced up at Miya, and then nodded. "Of course."

Miyo smiled and ran to give her mother one last hug, before finally running back towards the village. Issun recognized the blue glow of the one girl Poncle waiting for the little pink glow at the entrance.

Issun shook his head slowly as he tried to clear it. So many promises to keep…

/

"WAKA! HAVE YOU SEEN MY DIVINE HAIR BRUSH?"

"MA CHERIE, I TOLD YOU! IT'S ON THE DIVINE DRESSER IN THE DIVINE BEDROOM RIGHT NEXT TO THE DIVINE CANOPY BED!"

"FOUND IT! BUT IT WASN'T ON THE DIVINE DRESSER; IT WAS ON THE DIVINE RUG ON THE DIVINE FLOOR IN THE DIVINE BEDROOM!"

"HUH, I MUST'VE USED IT FOR BRUSHING OUT MY HAIR AFTER LAST NIGHT."

"THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE GOLDEN HAIR IN IT!"

"SORRY 'BOUT THAT."

Chibi could stand it no longer. His parents had been yelling like this for several hours now, all over their divine home on the Celestial Plain. Chibi had hid in his room and was practicing his brush techniques on a canvas on the wall. He loved his parents, but it was kind of hard to perfect Thunderstorm when all you could hear were screaming voices.

Lately, his painting skills had been off due to all that was on his mind. He wondered what Nara was doing…

Chibiterasu shook the thought away. He knew he was forbidden to see her… but it was so tempting… No, Chibi thought. I promised my parents.

He tried to focus on painting and decided to stop the Brush Techniques for a while, and instead just freeform paint. Let's see… blue… and red… oh, maybe some brown would be excellent too…

Chibi guided the brush on the canvas to outline the shape of a pair of wolf ears, and added long red hair surrounding them. He stroked blue in the texture of fur and added two green dots for eyes.

Suddenly, he realized what he was doing. Stepping away from his masterpiece, he realized he had painted Nara's perfect face. Rage began to boil in him. "Myself-dammit!" he shouted and cherry bombed at the easel, blowing the painting to bits.

"Aww, crap…" Chibi muttered as he realized that paint had flown everywhere, and there was a dent in the Divine floor from the explosion. His parents were gonna kill him, most likely by power-slash.

"CHIBI!" Ammy was right on cue. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THIS TIME?" The sun goddess stomped into the room, her amber eyes widening at the sight of the mess.

Chibiterasu shrugged. "I was… practicing cherry bomb…" his high pitched voice squeaked. There was no fooling Amaterasu. She exploded on sight, even louder than any bomb could ever bear to.

"CHIBITERASU IF YOU DON'T CLEAN THIS UP RIGHT NOW AND GET EVERY SINGLE SPOT OF INK OFF EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF DIVINE FURNITURE I WILL THROW YOU OFF THE CELESTIAL PLAIN MYSELF AND LET THE IMPS HAVE AT YOU!"

Waka carefully poked his head in. "I'd listen to your mother, son…" he warily said.

Poor Chibi spent the next few hours scrubbing his room, annihilating every drop of paint as his mother had ordere- uh, strongly suggested – him to do.

Chibi was on his knees, reaching under his Divine nightstand to get some of the last remaining drops when his eyes landed on the locked drawer of the nightstand.

"No," he commanded himself. "I promised." And he continued scrubbing.

As he finally finished cleaning, his eyes once again moved to the drawer. Slowly, his hand moved to his neck, where hidden under his shirt hung a small golden key on a metal chain.

"NO!" he growled and tore his hand away from the chain. Chibi felt the familiar wild sensation in his chest. Quickly he pulled off his shirt and sped out the door.

He ran past Amaterasu, scaring the life out of her, out the door and into the open. Soon, Chibi heard the sound of ripping fabric as his pants stretched to fit the new form of his legs. His jaws clamped shut as sharp teeth sprouted from the flat ones he usually had. A tail swung out from behind him, decorated in black markings. The poofy white hair that sat on his head now surrounded his entire body.

"Chibiterasu! What on the Celestial Plain do you think you're doing!" Chibi could hear his mother's voice scream from behind him. He didn't care. He felt wild and young, and loved the feeling of his Divine blood pumping through his wolf form. It made him feel important. It made him truly feel like what he was – a god.

He heard Ammy's footsteps pounding towards him. He had little time. Chibi glanced over to the edge of what he knew as home. Clouds blocked the view of the land below. Nippon.

Amaterasu had just reached the spot where Chibi had stood, but by the time she glanced up all she saw was a teenage wolf disappearing into the clouds, and falling down below to the land of Nippon.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANY CHARACTERS FROM OKAMI. THIS IS PURELY FAN-MADE :3**

**Just as some clarification, this story takes place a while after Okamiden, so Chibi would be around 17 if he was in human form, the land of Nippon has changed in many ways, certain characters are also much older, such as Issun being a lot more mature and serious. Just some clarification, thanks for reading :D**

**Chapter 3**

Amaterasu paced Chibi's room, furious and at the same time worried. She clutched scraps of Chibiterasu's pants in her hands, trembling with her amber eyes on fire.

Waka stood in the doorway, his face stricken with worry. His dearest love distressed and his beloved son gone, the day couldn't get any worse.

"I have to go find him…" Ammy muttered.

In an instant Waka was by her side, pulling her close. "No, ma cherie. You know it's too dangerous for you."

"But it's my fault. I shouldn't have yelled at him like I did." Ammy's voice cracked and she buried her face in Waka's chest, weeping.

"Everything will be alright… he survived the first time he visited Nippon, did he not? And he was but a pup then."

"But back then we could always know where he was… Oh, Waka, he's all alone now. What if the fall hurt him? What if he's all broken and dying, and all we're doing is standing here doing nothing!"

Waka was silent for a few moments. These worries had crossed his mind as well. Finally, he looked down at Ammy and held her face in his hands, looking into her teary eyes as he spoke.

"Our son is the child of the great Okami Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun. He is nonetheless a strong, powerful god himself, who will survive. Now ma cherie, do you think you can wait here while I go and power up the Ark?"

Ammy's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. It closed once more and she nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

Waka turned to leave, stopping in the doorway to speak once more before he disappeared. "We will find him, if it's the last thing I do."

Amaterasu buried her face in her hands, which were still holding pieces of her son's ripped clothing.

/

"Issun, how much loooonger!" Miya whined as she walked behind Issun, who was getting more and more annoyed every time the young Poncle opened her mouth.

"Not much longer, we're almost there, now be quiet! You'll attract every imp in Nippon!" he snapped back.

"But Issun!... Ugh…"

As if Issun was right and Miya's complaining really did attract imps, all of a sudden a huge green imp crashed through the trees and in front of the Poncles.

Issun quickly grabbed the awe-struck Miya and ducked into the leaves. As the two were but little Poncles the imp was unlikely to see them, but Issun wanted to be sure.

"Woah, is that a real-" Issun clamped his hand over Miya's mouth, shushing her.

He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Yes, it's a real imp. Most of them left a long time ago, but a few stuck around. They don't go near the villages, though, just hang around the empty fields and prey on rabbits and the occasional unlucky passerby."

The pair watched quietly as the green imp nervously looked around. It was clutching something in its arms, hiding it.

Miya squinted closer. The bundle was… moving. "Issun," she whispered. "What is it holding?"

But all Issun did was stare as the imp began to relax. Strangely, it seemed to have a small smile on its face beneath its paper mask. Stranger yet, it began to lovingly stroke the small bundle.

"What's going on…? I've never heard of imps acting like this…" Miya quietly wondered.

Issun shook his head. "I have no idea. Of all my years traveling around I've never seen anything like this. But we better go, we've still got a lot of walking to do."

As softly as they could, the Poncles tiptoed around the imp, using leaves from bushes and trees as their cover.

Just as the green imp was out of sight and the pair was going on their way again, loud voices and feet came thrashing through the forest and into the clearing the green imp was in. They could hear yells and war cries and pounding noises. After what seemed like ages of listening to the terrifying sounds, came the blood-curling death scream of an imp.

Issun glanced at Miya. Her eyes were wide and her hand was squeezed tight around Daichi. Her mouth hung open in curiosity and awe.

"C'mon," Issun called as he began towards the clearing. Miya stood there, her mouth still open. "Well? Do you want to experience all you can before becoming a Celestial Envoy or not?"

Miya snapped back into it and smiled wide, her young eyes gleaming with curiosity. It was hard to believe this young, cheery Poncle was a mother of an almost equally cheery and hyper child.

As they came back into view of the green imp, now slumped over dead and broken, Miya gasped and even Issun couldn't hold back some shock of his own.

The scene was pretty gruesome. Issun could see the footprints of warriors and their clubs as they rushed into the once peaceful clearing and clubbed the imp to death. The green imp was frail and alone, it stood no chance. The mask it wore on its face was crumpled now, and a piece had been torn off, most likely as a victory trophy for one of the humans that had brutally beaten it. In one hand it still clutched its signature flute, but the flute had snapped in half, and splinters of it were digging into the imp's hand.

"Issun…" Miya called. Issun turned around from staring at the tortured imp and found Miya looking into the bundle of blankets the imp was holding and lovingly cuddling moments ago. Something was slightly shifting inside.

Issun took a few bounces to more closely examine the blankets- or rather what was inside them. Once again something moved. Issun unsheathed his sword, holding it out in front of himself. "Hello?" he called.

Miya drew Daichi from her belt as well, but she didn't look so sure as the bundle was at least thirty times her size.

"Who are you?" Issun called out, this time louder and more confident. "Show yourself!"

As if in response to Issun's command, something jumped out of the blankets and twenty feet in the air, spinning around and landing a yard away from the Poncles.

Issun shoved Miya behind him, pointing Denkomaru, ready to pounce and attack if he needed to.

But the creature took once glance at them and turned away, looking all around frantically until its eyes rested on the frail dead green imp.

It ran over to the body, and Issun swore he heard whimpering as it prodded and nuzzled the imp to no avail.

"Issun… is that a… baby imp?" Miya whispered as she lowered her sword and a puzzled look crossed her face.

Miya was right, Issun thought. The creature had the furry green body of an imp, it hands and feet were black and in one of them it clutched a small flute made from a reed. Of course, the most obvious feature identifying it as an imp was the paper mask on its face. It was oversized and made for an adult imp, most likely made to be kept all of its life.

"By the great goddess Amaterasu, I never…" Issun muttered as he lowered Denkomaru and stared wide eyed as the small imp gave up prodding the larger one and plopped down its green imp bottom in misery.

"I think that was its mother...," Miya said as her face changed from puzzled to consoling and sad. "It's all alone now. Those hunters killed its mother and it has nowhere to go…"

"Miya, don't you get any ideas. It's a wild animal that could kill us. Now speaking of which we should go before it sees us and possibly does kill us."

Miya opened her mouth to protest, but closed it and sighed in defeat. "Fine, let's go… Poor thing…"

Issun nodded and turned to quickly bounce away into the bushes.

A few moments later, the forest thinned out and they came to a small field. The sun was setting and stars were starting to spot the night sky.

"We're done for today, try and get some rest," he told Miya. She simply nodded and walked a bit further into the field, finding a suitable place and flopping down and curling into a small ball.

Issun sighed and found his own little patch of comfortable grass, sitting down and glancing up at the sky.

"Oh Ammy, what has this world come to?...," he whispered as he lay down in the grass and slipped off his hat, letting his black hair free and closing his eyes.

/

Meanwhile, Amaterasu herself was glancing out the window of the Ark of Yamato, staring at the night sky, her long white hair glowing in the darkness and her head resting on her knees as she sat on the floor.

"Oh Issun, if you're out there… find Chibi for me, please… make sure he's ok…" Her voice cracked and she buried her face and cried.

She cried until her eyes were dry. And even then she cried without tears, sobbing into her nightgown.

A long time passed before strong arms picked up her small figure and set her down on a soft, feathery bed. She felt a kiss on her forehead and eventually exhaustion took over and she fell into a deep sleep.

/

Issun was surprised as in his sleep, the first image that came to him was the friendly young wolf face of Chibiterasu. Issun yelped as the pup lurched forward and licked the Poncle, covering him in a layer of slobber.

"Chibi!" Issun exclaimed, but couldn't help but laugh. He missed the youngster. Of course, it had been a while. Wouldn't Chibi be older by now..?

Suddenly, Chibiterasu stepped back and his happy expression disappeared. His features began to change. His divine markings intensified, and his muscles grew as his whole body doubled in size.

Issun nodded in understanding. This was Chibi now, very similar to his mother but still having young attributes. He was a typical wolf teenager now. Issun smiled proudly at his little friend who wasn't so little now.

Their surroundings began to change as well. Suddenly, Issun was on the Celestial Plain. He watched, unable to move, as he saw Chibiterasu run and jump, disappearing off the edge of the Plain and hurtling towards earth.

And then Ammy appeared, chasing after her son, yelling things that were improper for goddesses to yell. She stopped as she realized in horror that Chibi had jumped, and began to crumple and weep.

Issun tried to speak but found he couldn't do anything. He was frozen and invisible as all of this unfolded.

The image faded and Issun's closed eyelids brightened. He flickered open his eyes to find himself back in that field, resting on the grass, under the rising sun…

…and staring up at the face of a baby imp.


	4. Chapter 4

**PLEASE NOTE: I recently changed my username, MrsWaka, to MessengerFox because I am planning to do other fanfics instead of just Okami ones :D Sorry for any confusion!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. ENJOY ;3**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"AHHHHH!" Issun screeched as he noticed that there was a green imp child above him, staring down at him with the expression on its mask.

Miya appeared, her sword drawn and her eyes wide. "Issun! What's wrong?"

Issun almost facepalmed. Um, hello? Was the imp hovering above him invisible? "The-the-the imp! There's an imp!"

"Huh…? OH!" Miya yelled as she finally realized the creature. She ran forward and jumped in front of Issun, and… began talking to the imp.

"Hey there, little fella. What are you doin' here, you poor thing? All alone and so little, huh?" Miya spoke to it. Issun thought she was crazy.

"What are you doing? It'll kill both of us!" he yelled as he snapped into action and grabbed his hat and drew Denkomaru.

Pushing Miya out of the way, he began slashing the air in front of the imp, yelling "Back, back! Get away, you vile thing!"

It tilted its head, unfazed by the little Poncle's squeaking insanity.

"Issun, stop! Stop stop stop!" Miya yelled as she shoved Issun to get him to halt. "You're scaring it!"

Issun's mouth dropped open. "Scaring it? That's what I'd like to do, it could kill us, Miya!"

Miya rolled her eyes and, putting away Daichi and thus her only defense, jumped up onto the green imp's head. And then, to Issun's utter amazement, she began petting it and talking to it again.

"Well aren't you the most adorable special little thing in the whole wide world, yes you are, yes you are!" Issun's jaw was on the ground as the imp began to respond to Miya, making these little noises of… of happiness. Like… like laughter, almost. Giggling.

"Alright, now, you cute little imp, why don't we go find you some food, eh?" Miya said as she jumped off its head and looked around until she spotted a small berry bush not too far off.

"Well paint me white and orange and call me a brush god…" Issun muttered as he watched as the baby imp followed Miya to the berry bush.

Miya plucked off a few berries and piled them in front of the imp. "There ya go, little impy."

The imp cocked its head, confused. Miya giggled and shook her head. "You eat them. You know, put them in your mouth?"

Still, it stared in confusion. Miya giggled again, unsheathed Daichi and stabbed one of the berries, lifting it up to the imp's mouth. "Open," she commanded.

Issun was blown out of the water as the imp did as she said and opened its mouth, allowing Miya to drop the berry in.

The imp chewed slowly, eventually picking up another berry and eating it. Finally, it filled its entire mouth with the berries, and seemingly it was satisfied.

Miya smiled at it, jumped back on its head and gave it a pat. "There, that should hold your stomach for a while."

"Ummmm, Miya…"

"Huh? Oh, Issun. I forgot you were there."

"Um, well you do realize you just befriended a VILE MONSTER WHO'S FIRST INSTINCT IS TO KILL… right?"

"Oh come on, does this cute little impy look like it would hurt anybody?"

"Yes."

"Pff, whatever. I like him, I think I'll call him Impy."

"Impy? Now you're naming it?"

"He could be a valuable help to us, for all you know!"

Issun shook his head in disgust. "Says the one who has never even fought a full grown imp."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Leave him here, all alone?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I want you to do!" Issun said, throwing his hands up in despair.

"You think he's some blood-thirsty monster who doesn't know anything but how to kill, don't you?"

"YES! That's exactly what I think! That's exactly what IT is!"

Miya stuck her chin up in stubbornness. "I don't care what you think or say. He's coming with us."

"Does she not hear me at all? Hello? Vile monster, blood-thirsty, killing-instinct!"

"C'mon Impy, let's get a move on. Issun, how much farther to Wep'keer?"

Issun was too busy facepalming to answer her question, but after a few minutes, he gave a sigh and waved for Miya and… Impy, to follow him.

/

Ammy woke with a jolt, sitting straight up in her bed. Something was terribly wrong.

"Ma cherie? Are you ok?" Waka's voice came from next to her in the bed.

Amaterasu slowly turned her head to see the prophet, shirtless and long hair let out, sitting up on the bed as well, a look of worry all across his face.

"Y-yes… I think…" Ammy muttered. But she and Waka both knew that wasn't true.

Waka shifted next to the sun goddess and enveloped her in his arms, stroking her long white hair out of her face. "We'll find him. The Ark lands in just a little while, and then I'll start my search."

"You'll start? I'm going too, Waka," Ammy protested.

"No, you're not. You know exactly why you can't go, I'm not putting you in harm's way."

"But but but-"

"No, ma cherie."

"Waka…"

"What is it, mi amour?"

"I feel light headed… and… and nau-"

The words weren't out of Ammy's mouth before she sprung up out of bed and ran towards the bathroom. Waka followed quickly, and held her hair as she threw up in the toilet.

/

Nara was picking up laundry from all around the house when she found it.

It was just a shirt. A plain white shirt. That Nara had hidden under her bed and had almost forgotten about until she pulled it out again three weeks later.

She stared at the fabric, dumbstruck on what to do with it. Slowly, unsurely, she pressed her face into it, smelling it, and almost collapsed at the heavenly scent.

And then tears filled her eyes, and all of a sudden she remembered that she could never see the owner of the shirt again.

Nara tucked the shirt into the bottom of her laundry basket and went outside to the river.

Wep'keer had become a welcoming place after the blizzards stopped and the sun began to shine once again. A beautiful river flowed gracefully nearby the village almost all year except in the winter when it froze over.

Nara kneeled down with her basket of laundry and began dunking each piece of clothing in the river, then hanging it up on the laundry line.

Finally, her hand hit the bottom of the laundry basket and she pulled out the white shirt. Tears filled Nara's eyes and she buried her face in the fabric, wishing with all her heart Chibi was here.

"Oh, please… please please please, I wish…"

"Nara! What do you think you're doing!" Oki's voice roared.

Nara winced and looked up at her father, marching towards her angrily. Since she was wearing her mask he couldn't see her tears.

"Um, hello Father…"

"Nara, what on earth do you think you're doing!"

"Um…" Nara looked down at the white shirt in her hands. "Nothing, I was just… doing laundry…"

"You're washing whites with colors!" Oki exclaimed, pointing at the white shirt and then at the colorful garments already hanging on the laundry line.

"Oh! Um… woops, sorry Father, I didn't notice." Nara wore a sad expression on her face; her father, once a great Oina warrior, was now soft and slightly insane, especially since… the incident.

"You better be sorry! We don't want that white shirt blue, now do we? Wait, who's shirt is that anyways…?"

Nara's eyes widened and her breath caught. "Um… I think… it's… ummm one of Mum's old shirts?"

"Oh…" Oki's tone softened and his head lowered a bit. "Right. Ok, um… Nara, I'm gonna go… go for a walk… Ask Lika if you need anything."

Nara only nodded and her expression under her mask became ever sadder.

Kai, Nara's mother and thus Oki's wife, had died a while back while trying to protect an injured Oki from a dark force trying to kill him.

Nara was crushed. Everything was so complicated and her heart ached for an ounce of love, for her poor mother, for her lost and deranged father, for Chibi…

"I wish…" Nara whispered into Chibi's shirt, her face buried in it once again.

And then she felt a nudge on her arm, from a wet wolf nose.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Sorry if it's kind of short, I'll try and update again very soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's been a long time coming but it's finally here! Gods and goddesses, to you I present:**

**The Seventh Envoy, Chapter 5!**

**Warning: This chapter contains mild references to AbexWaka. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. Enjoy :3**

* * *

Abe took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on Captain Waka's bedroom door. The ark had arrived in Nippon and he had begged for the task to tell the captain.

He had only managed to knock once when the door flew open and Abe caught his breath.

There stood Captain Waka, shirtless and long golden hair flowing down his back.

"Abe, what is it?" Waka sternly demanded. Something was wrong.

"C-Captain, sir, we've arrived in Nippon," Abe stuttered out. For some reason Waka's rough attitude made it a bit easier not to stare at his… eye-catching body…

"Waka, who is it?" a female voice called from inside the room. Abe was slightly startled, but soon his memory jogged. Of course, the sun goddess Amaterasu had come along with Waka. She was nice but far too perky for someone like Waka, in Abe's opinion.

Waka's eyes widened as he heard the voice. "Nothing, mi amour, just a Tao Trooper!" Waka called behind him. Much to Abe's pleasant surprise, he lunged forward and pushed his… shirtless… body against him, pushing him back and shutting the door behind him.

For a second, Waka stood there, his chest pressed into Abe. Slowly he stepped back and regained his posture. Not two seconds passed before he sighed and leaned back against the door, rubbing his head and running his fingers through his blonde hair.

Abe had never seen Captain Waka like this… Something was definitely wrong.

"I-Is everything al-alright, Captain Waka?" Abe nervously asked.

Waka sighed again, paused, and then proceeded to shake his head no. "Abe, I have to go down into Nippon and find someone and bring them back home. I desperately need to go, time is running out. But I can't leave Amaterasu alone, not in her condition."

Abe's eyes filled with compassion and pity for his captain. "Is there anything _I _can do, sir?"

Waka glanced up and into Abe's eyes. "Abe, dear friend, would you be willing to stay with Amaterasu on the ark until I return?"

Abe almost swooned with happiness as Waka called him his "dear friend." Oh, how he loved the feeling. Perhaps, if he accepted Waka's request he would receive more compliments, or some sort of reward from the captain. _How hard could looking after a sun goddess be?_

* * *

**Famous last words, Abe XD**

* * *

A minute later, Waka was fully dressed, armed with Pillowtalk and preparing to leave.

Abe stood cautiously at the foot of the large bed where no doubt his captain slept. At the moment it was occupied by the pale and sick-looking sun goddess. Abe smiled under his mask at the thought of how nice his captain was to lend his bed to someone sick.

Waka was standing at the side of the bed, next to where Amaterasu lay. He crouched down at her side and brushed a strand of white hair from her face.

"Mi amour, this is Abe, a good friend of mine. He is going to stay here with you for a bit while I'm out, ok? Tell him if you need anything, if you're thirsty or hungry perhaps. I will be back soon. Je t'aime." And he kissed her on the forehead before getting up, turning to Abe, nodding and leaving with one last glance at Amaterasu.

Abe was extremely glad he was wearing his mask as jealously burned in his cheeks and ears. He knew enough French to know what "je t'aime" meant.

He shook it off and turned to the white-haired goddess in the bed. "Um… Hi…"

"Abe, huh? That's a nice name. You can call me Ammy," she spoke hoarsely. Despite her deathly appearance she was quite cheery in expression and speech.

"Ammy. Ok. So, um… Are you thirsty or hungry?"

"I could use a glass of water, if it's not any trouble."

"Of course not. Captain Waka told me to tend to your every need and if that's what you need then of course it's no trouble."

She smiled and tried to giggle, but it quickly turned into a splutter and then a cough.

"Are you ok?" Abe asked with a confused tone.

"Yeah, I just find it funny how you call him 'Captain'," Amaterasu snickered.

"Oh, well, it's only proper. He is our captain, we take orders from him."

"I'm used to just calling him Waka, he's not my captain… Well, at least not outside of the bedro- Um, never mind."

More than ever Abe was glad he had a mask as his cheeks flushed red.

"I'll g-get you that water now," he stuttered.

* * *

"Issun, Impy needs a bathroom break!" Miya called from behind Issun as they continued their trek towards Wep'keer.

"What?!" Issun snapped out of his train of deep thought and stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Miya riding the baby green imp that he unwillingly invited to tag along with them.

"He needs to… you know, _go_."

Issun opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and sighed. "Fine, make it quick. We can make it there by sunset if we keep this pace."

Miya jumped off Impy and immediately the beast ran off in the bushes to relieve itself.

"Something wrong?" Miya's voice once again cutting off Issun from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, um, no, I'm fine."

"Suuure," Miya rolled her eyes. Damn, Issun was terrible at lying.

"I'm fine, Miya. Now can you please summon your _pet_ so we can get a move on?"

Miya rolled her eyes again, but proceeded to stick her fingers in her mouth and give a sharp, loud whistle. "Impy! Here boy!"

A few moments passed but nothing appeared out of the bushes.

"IMPY!" Miya called again. Nothing.

"He must've run off or something." Secretly, Issun was relieved.

"No, something must've happened to him. We have to go look for him."

"Miya, are you nuts? We have to get mov-" Issun began, but Miya was already bouncing away in the direction her pet imp had gone.

"Ugh…" Issun groaned as he sped after her.

Miya was surprisingly fast and soon Issun had fallen far behind her. He was forced to stop and catch his breath.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" a high-pitched scream rang through the trees. Issun jumped up and drew Denkomaru as he rushed towards the source and burst right in between a pack of adult green imps and Miya, her trembling hand gripped around Daichi and her eyes wide with fear.


	6. Chapter 6

**As always,  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS  
Enjoy :3**

* * *

"MIYA! RUN!" Issun shouted as he jumped forward, stabbing his needle sword into the paw of one of the imps. It screamed out in pain and swatted Issun, sending him flying several feet.

"Issun!" Miya screeched. She dodged an angry imp and lunged for Issun, who was recovering from the blow.

"I'm fine... urg...," he groaned as Miya helped him to his feet.

"What do we do? There's too many of them!" Miya whimpered. Issun grunted in agreement. Suddenly he recalled what the other end of his blood-stained sword was.

"Miya, it's time you learn about a little something called...," Issun jumped and swiped his celestial brush through the air, "POWERSLASH!"  
Suddenly all the imps surrounding them yelled in pain, hurtling back a little. It didn't do much damage, but it distracted them long enough for the pair to make a run for it.

The Poncles made a run for it, bouncing away as fast as they could.

Issun watched as Miya's dirty yellow butterfly cap fluttered in the wind, her young normally pink cheeks flushed red and her out of breath. She was so tiny and still very young for a Poncle, she had no experience whatsoever.

Issun couldn't help but wonder how she would manage being a celestial envoy after he became chief.  
He was going to be a chief... Oh dear gods, how the hell was he gonna manage that?! Oh, Ishaku-

His thoughts were cut short as while bouncing his leg got caught on a tree branch. Suddenly the world began spinning as he heard a crack and went soaring towards the ground. With another crack he landed on a rocky patch, and for the first time of many the world went black.

* * *

Amaterasu jerked awake from her midday nap. Immediately confusion struck her face and she looked around the room. Her eyes rested on a masked figure sitting quietly on a small chair not far from the bed.

"Um, Amaterasu? Is something wrong?" Abe quietly asked.

"Huh...?" she was still in a confused daze. "Oh, um... No, I just had a weird dream..."

"Oh, um, ok..."

"Abe, can I have another glass of water?"

"Of course, Lady Amaterasu," Abe answered as he got up to get her one.

"Lady Amaterasu? What's that for?"

"Um, well, you are a goddess, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah I guess, but... Oh, whatever..." Ammy was still partially distant.

A minute later Abe came back with the promised glass of water and handed it to the sun goddess. She gulped it all down in a matter of seconds.

"Wow, you really were thirsty," Abe commented as he took the empty glass back.

"Mmhm..." Ammy muttered.

"Um, are you sure you're ok?"

"I never said I was ok."

"Oh... Um, what's bothering you?"

"Why do you care?"

Amaterasu's harsh tone startled Abe for a second. "I-I-um... Captain Waka told me to look after you, I'm just doing my job... I-I'm sorry..."

Ammy closed her eyes and winced. "I know... I'm sorry, I just... all of everything's that's happening is really getting to me."

"E-everything?"

"Yeah, everything, like for instance the fact that I haven't seen my best friend in years and I just had a dream about him... I... I think he's in trouble..."

"Your best friend?"

"Issun, he's a Poncle, the Celestial Envoy to be exact. He's been busy down in Nippon while I've been up on the Celestial Plain with Waka and Chibi..."

"Chibi...?" Where had Abe heard that name before...?

"He's my son... He... he ran away and right now Waka is trying to find him, down there in Nippon... I wonder if he'll run into Issun... Maybe Issun could help find Chibi..."

"Oh, so that's the reason for all of this, the reason the captain called all of us to the Ark." Abe partially smiled, thinking of how kind his captain was to help the sick goddess find her lost son.

"Y-yeah... I-I... I can't stand it, Abe... Thinking of Chibiterasu all alone out there, lost, starving, alone... And I can't even d-do anything about it!" Ammy's voice cracked as she burst into tears and cried into her knees pressed against her face. Suddenly she gasped in pain and jerked her face off her knees.

"Ow..." Ammy whimpered.

"Amaterasu?" Abe concerningly called.

"It's ok, I just, I just forgot I can't sit like that anymore."

Abe opened his mouth to question why, but thought better of it and shut his trap. Instead he placed the empty glass on the bedside table and sat down on the side of the bed.

"So.. Um.. Why do some people call you Ammy instead of Amaterasu?" Abe asked, trying to lighten up the goddess' mood.

Ammy paused and then lightly smiled. "Well, Amaterasu is kind of a mouthful at times... Actually, it was Issun who first called me Ammy..."

"I see... You said you had a dream about him?" Abe slowly turned so his torso faced Amaterasu.

She nodded. "I dreamt that he was bouncing through a forest, running from something I think... I think he was in trouble... And it ended when he tripped and fell, that's when I jerked awake..." Ammy seemed distant again. Abe thought he saw what looked like tears welling in her eyes.

"W-what's wrong?"

"I.. I wish Issun was here... He missed Chibi's birth and now he's gonna miss this one too..." A large tear wobbled down Amaterasu's cheek.

"Wait... this one?"

"Um, yes..."

"Y-you're you're p-pr-pre-pregnant?"

Amaterasu chuckled. "Yes, Abe. I'm pregnant. It's Waka's."

* * *

"Is he going to be ok?" a female voice spoke from the darkness. It was Miya.

"He should be. His leg is gonna take a while to heal, as for his head... Well, at least the bleeding has stopped," an unfamiliar female voice spoke.

Miya's sigh rung in Issun's ears.

It was slightly colder than before... Where were they? And why couldn't he open his eyes?

"Urghf..." He tried to speak. "Urtlgaf.."

"Issun?! Can you hear me?" Miya spoke. "Lika! Lika, come quick! He's waking up!"

"M..Mee.. Miya.." Issun's voice hoarsely croaked.

"Issun, yes, It's me. How do you feel?"

Issun took a moment to access his pain. His left leg felt numb at the moment but he could tell it was broken, he couldn't move it at all. His chest and ribs were sore, probably fractured but would heal quickly.

"Like I just got attacked by Orochi..." he announced. And then a small pain in the back of his head became aware to Issun. At first it was just a simple tingling, but it began to grow into a squeezing force.

"Wait... my... my head... And... why can't I open my eyes? Is something covering them?"

Miya was silent.

"Miya? What's going on? Where are we?"

Issun felt Miya's hand on his, giving him a squeeze. "In Wep'Keer. Impy carried us here and luckily Lika, a healer who lives here, saw us and brought you into her home. You.. you were really hurt. After you fell, an imp came up behind you and grabbed you in its mouth by your head... I-I didn't know what to do, and then Impy came rushing in and I.. I think he somehow talked the other imps to leave us alone... Oh Issun, you should've seen it. You were bleeding all over the place a-and I w-was so scared, I thought you were dead... Your head got hurt really bad... a-and..."

"...my eyes, what about my eyes? Why can't I open them?"

"Issun... y-your eyes are open."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, just wanted to say that now that school has started and other things are happening in my life I won't be posting quite as often. I'll upload when I can, but for now this is the last chapter for a while. Sorry :(**

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OKAMI OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. Enjoy :3

* * *

"So... I'm blind?"

Issun sat and pondered the thought as Miya and Lika watched on. Lika was a young Oina healer who wore a frog mask and walked around quickly and cheerily most of the time.

She spoke up. "The injury to your head must've hurt the part of your brain that recognizes images. So, perhaps you can still see, but your brain isn't receiving the images."

Issun stayed silent, so Lika spoke again. "It's a lot to process, I know, and I don't have any medicine that I think can help... Issun, I'd say it's just better for you to arrange for a way to get back to Ponc'tan... In the meantime, I'm going out for a little while to gather some herbs. Miya, would you like to come? I think Issun needs to be alone right now."

Issun's blank eyes glistened with tears. As soon as he heard the door close behind Lika and Miya, he let the tears stream down his cheeks.

He would never be able to paint again, never be able to see the stroke of a brush on canvas, never be able to see the bright sun or the beautiful Konohana blossoms. Never be able to do anything. He was a useless, helpless little bug.

* * *

Nara watched her aunt Lika exit the house from behind a tree some distance away. She waited until Lika was out of sight, reached behind her and took Chibi's hand, and made a run for it.

Out of breath, they flew through the door of the house and slammed it behind them.

"Phew, I thought we wouldn't make it," Nara spluttered as she gasped for air.

Chibi nodded, too out of breath to speak. But he smiled at Nara and stood up straight, leaning close to her.

Nara slipped her thumb under her mask, and pushed it up only far enough to expose her lips. The two kissed, unaware of the green Poncle lying in a small makeshift bed made out of a carved out piece of wood and some small pieces of cloth, just a few feet away from them.

"Who's there?" Issun spoke up. He didn't recognize the voice at all.

Nara squealed and jumped off of Chibi, who jumped back and into the wall.

They both furiously looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. Chibiterasu could've sworn it sounded partially familiar...

Finally, his eyes spotted the dim green glow from the other side of the room.

"Issun? Issun, is that you?" Chibi called. Nara glanced at Chibi with concern.

"Yeah, it's me... Who are you?"

"Issun, it's me, Chibiterasu."

"...Chibi? Chibi, the son of the great goddess Amaterasu?"

Chibi was silent. His mother was the last thing he wanted to hear about.

"Who else is there? I heard another voice."

Nara cleared her throat. "Um, I'm Nara.. Daughter of Oki.. Lika is my aunt."

Issun was shocked. Oki's daughter? Wait... Yes, he remembered now. Lika was the little sister of Kai, which meant Kai was Nara's mother.

"What are you doing here, Issun?" Chibiterasu asked as he moved closer to the Poncle.

Issun lifted his head, in hopes of catching a glance at Chibi all grown up, but then he remembered...

"Issun..." he heard Chibi gasp as he saw the bandages and injuries.

"I... I got into a little fight with some imps. They were more violent than regular imps, it.. It was weird. I was knocked unconscious and brought here. I'm supposed to be headed home to Ponc'tan soon, I guess..."

Chibi leaned down next to his old buddy. "Issun... Can you... see?"

Issun lowered his head to his chest, letting his hair fall in his face and cover his blank eyes.

"Chibi..." Nara whispered. "Lika or my father might come back any moment. We have to go."

Chibi turned back to Issun. "I... I don't know what to say, Issun. I have to go. Best of luck."

He and Nara turned to leave after Nara had gathered up a bag of food and other supplies.

And suddenly realization came to Issun. "Chibi..." he muttered. No response.

"Chibi! Wait!" he called.

"Issun? What is it?" Chibi answered, about to step outside.

"Why are you here, in Nippon I mean?"

Silence. A breath and a sigh. "Reasons... Goodbye, Issun."

And then the Poncle was alone again.

* * *

"Abe? Abe, are you ok?!" Amaterasu screeched.

The Tao Trooper had collapsed, falling backwards onto the foot of the bed. He was lying on Ammy's toes.

"Abe!" Ammy tried leaning forward and shaking him, but a pain sparked in her belly and with a whimper she leaned back.

Great, just great.

Ammy closed her eyes and leaned back, letting her hands rest on top of her ever-growing baby bump.

"Find him, Waka.. Find him quick. There's not much time left."

* * *

Meanwhile, Waka had troubles of his own to deal with.

The Ark of Yamato had landed in Ezofuji, concealed in a rock canyon, to avoid attention.

After he had bid farewell to Amaterasu, Waka had gotten off the Ark, with the intention to quickly get out of the mountains and begin his search. His only problem, he was lost in the mountains.

He wandered for about an hour, never finding an apparent exit towards Wep'Keer. After another hour, this began to annoy him.

Finally, it seemed as though he found a way out. Waka came into a quiet clearing, and he spotted a pathway leading from it and most likely towards Wep'Keer.

He wasn't two steps into the clearing when something jumped on him from behind.

With a grunt he landed face-first on the dewy grass beneath him. A large, furry figure had him pinned to the ground.

"Who are you?!" it growled.

Waka didn't answer; instead, he summoned his power and with a flash he teleported to a spot a few feet away.

The furry figure fell to the ground, looking around frantically.

Waka lightly smiled. He had the element of surprise on his side. Quickly he drew Pillow Talk, his sword, and leaped forward, hitting the wolf with the flat part of the blade, as to only knock his opponent down and not cut him.

Although it caused minimal damage, the blow was effective and knocked the wolf back into the side of the mountain. It grunted and growled again, getting to its feet fast and snarling at Waka.

Waka stood still, Pillow Talk glowing and ready to strike, this time harder if needed.

The wolf lowered its ears and grunted in submission. It sat down and Waka watched at it quickly and quietly morphed into a human.

He cleared his throat and stood up, nodding lightly to Waka. "This land belongs to the Oina tribe. You are not supposed to be here."

Waka nodded in response. "I know, I'm sorry. I was just passing through, trying to get out of the mountains. If you'll allow me I'll be right on my way and off the land as soon as possible."

He began moving towards the pathway, but the wolf-man stepped in his way. "Who are you? How did you get in the mountains in the first place?"

Waka glanced down at Pillow Talk, still drawn and glowing. With a quick flick of his thumb the glowing blade retracted and he tucked the wooden flute away. He wanted no more trouble, he needed to find Chibiterasu.

"I am looking for a white wolf, from the Celestial Plain. Any chance you've seen one?"

Immediately the Oina tensed up. "White wolf! As if! I would never allow such a vile creature within fifty miles of Wep'Keer!"

Waka stepped back, hesitating whether or not to reach for Pillow Talk again.

"I need no trouble. I, Waka, am here to remove this white wolf from Nippon."

"Waka..." he mumbled. "I am Oki, Oina tribe warrior. I have seen no white wolf here for a long time. Now I insist you leave as quickly as you can, _Waka_, before I call upon the rest of my tribe to rip you to shreds."

Something about the way Oki spoke, something about the way the hair on his head rose with anger just like a wolf's... Waka felt a familiar tingling sensation in the back of his head. His eyes glazed over and for the first time in a very long time, he received a prophecy.

_Blood will be shed before Kutone is born again._

"Do you hear me, blonde man?! Leave this land!" Oki roared.  
Waka took a deep breath and looked into Oki's raging eyes with his widened ones.

"Oki, would you be kind enough to take me to the pedestal where Kutone stays?"  
Oki was silent. After a moment, he turned and motioned for Waka to follow him.


End file.
